History
Attic Angel Association has a long and rich history in Madison. It goes back to 1889, when Miss Elva Bryant heard that twins had been born into a family that could not afford clothing for the babies. She set about sewing appropriate clothing and when she delivered it to the grateful parents, she found that there were many more families facing challenges. She enlisted the help of her sister, Mary, and several friends, who continued the mission.
Some Attic Angel Milestones
Health Care & Child Care
In the early 1900s, when good health care was hard to come by, the growing Attic Angel group of civic-minded women pledged $1,000 along with additional help to establish Madison’s first hospital in 1903. Five years later, they established Madison’s first visiting nurse service, which today is known as SSM Health at Home. Then in 1915, they started and ran the city’s first well-child clinics for 34 years before turning them over to the Madison Health Department.
Jumping ahead to 1969, Attic Angel showed an even deeper commitment to children by building and maintaining a facility to house a much-needed South Madison day care. In 1991, Attic Angel gifted ownership of the building to the occupant, Child Development Inc. (CDI). In 2014, Attic Angel provided $100,000 to renovate the building before it reopened in 2015 as One City Early Learning Center. Today, One City Schools is a preparatory academy for children from birth through high school.
Focus on Seniors
The Association expanded its care to older adults in 1953, when the group determined Madison’s need for a nursing home for middle-income people who did not qualify for public assistance. A home on East Gorham Street in Madison was purchased and the Angels provided care to 21 residents. The Association later bought and built a health center on Segoe Road as well as independent living apartments in the Tower.
A Fitting Name
One day, the sisters were up in their attic, collecting discarded clothing for these children. Upon descending, they were greeted by their father, prominent Madisonian and federal servant General E.E. Bryant, who declared, “Here come the attic angels!” The women enthusiastically adopted the name.
Today
Attic Angel Association now claims more than 450 members who invest tens of thousands of volunteer hours each year. Additionally, through their well-known sales and golf events, they raise money throughout the year and apply the proceeds to causes that benefit children and seniors.
In 2000, the Association and its senior community moved to the Madison/Middleton border to form Attic Angel Community and hired its first President and CEO. The next year, ground was broken for Attic Angel Prairie Point. The neighborhood offers independent living in ranch-style homes that allow for priority access to Attic Angel’s levels of service, if needed.
From 2005 to 2007, the volunteers conducted an internal capital campaign to raise the funds to add a memory care unit, The Haven, which opened in 2007. An expansion in 2013 added 20 new assisted living apartments and a larger rehabilitation department.
In 2017 the winds of change blew when Attic Angel became a national leader in converting its skilled nursing facility to high-level assisted living, where the emphasis is on “home.” The change took effect in 2019.
In 2018, looking beyond their own walls, the Angels established Attic Angel Management Services to provide gold-standard services for the success of similar senior communities.
In 2022, Michelle Godfrey took the reigns as Attic Angel’s President and CEO. Her appointment began after Mary Ann Drescher’s retirement from nearly 22 years of directing the growth and change of Attic Angel and its four nonprofit corporations.
135 years after Attic Angel’s 1889 founding, Attic Angel celebrated its roots by naming levels of service within Attic Angel Place to reflect the history, names and locations of its heart-driven hometown success. A refreshed brand unveiled a light and modernized angel logo as well.